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Salem Community Foundation awards college scholarships

Salem Community Foundation President John Tonti, co-chair of the scholarship committee, awards the first Jacqueline E. Troll Scholarship to Brittany Zamarelli, who’s entering her sophomore year at Kent State University, majoring in managerial marketing. She is the daughter of Frank and Glory Zamarelli of Salem. (Salem News photo by Mary Ann Greier)

SALEM — As a managerial marketing major who’s interested in entrepreneurship, Brittany Zamarelli said getting an opportunity to receive the inaugural Jacqueline E. Troll Scholarship was important to her.

“It’s special,” she said.

The scholarship means a lot, not just because of Troll’s reputation as a Salem entrepreneur, but also because it represents that entrepreneural spirit she’s seen firsthand in her dad, Frank, who founded his own business, Salem Computer Center, many years ago and knew Troll personally.

“That’s why it’s special to me,” she said.

Zamarelli will begin her sophomore year at Kent State University in the College of Business Administration this fall and was one of 21 sophomore, junior and senior college students awarded scholarships from various funds through the Salem Community Foundation Scholarship Program, along with five students selected to receive awards from the Ministerial Scholarship Fund through SCF. The students gathered Thursday with members of the SCF Scholarship Program Committee for a photo op and to receive their award letters and checks to deliver to their schools.

Members of the Salem Community Foundation Scholarship Program Committee pose with some of this year’s scholarship winners during a gathering Thursday at the Salem Community Center. The program awards checks each summer to college sophomores, juniors and seniors through various scholarship funds, including a ministerial scholarship fund, ranging in amounts from $1,000 to $2,500. Pictured seated, from left, are Cyrena Cooper, Julia Martinelli, Samantha Calhoun, Emily Ehrenberg, Brittany Oesch, Debra Goodenow, Catherine Howell and Brittany Skiba; and, standing from left, are committee members Gary Moffett, co-chair Melissa Costa and Lou Ramunno, Seth Hill, Zach Morris, Marty Roth, Blake Veglia, Troy Kuhns, Jeff Barton, Joshua Townsend, Anthony Dermotta, co-chair/SCF President John Tonti, and committee members Joe Julian and Joe Sedzmak. (Salem News photo by Mary Ann Greier)

“The people who set these (funds) up obviously loved education, loved the community and loved the kids,” SCF President John Tonti said.

Tonti and grants coordinator Melissa Costa co-chair the scholarship committee which includes Joe Julian, Gary Moffett, Lou Ramunno, and Joe Sedzmak as members.

A press release listing the various scholarship sources explained “the Salem Community Foundation has eight scholarship funds established in memory of loved ones and are named after their benefactors. Scholarship dollars were granted through the following funds: Evelyn Lease (1969), Sam and Bernice Keener (1991), Avanell E. Beck (1992), Salem Label / Menegos (1994), George and Jeannette Emeny (1995), Hart / Litty (2001), Bruce P. and Eileen J. Gordon (2010), and Herbert J. Hansell (2016).”

Three scholarship funds were established through estates: The Lyle and Mary Biehler (1993), Betty Ruth Ulicny (1999), and Jacqueline Troll (2016).

“A combination of 14 principal funds form the Salem Community Foundation Scholarship Fund, which has been so very significant to Salem’s college students over the years. These funds were brought together according to the wishes of the donors. Included are the funds of George Theiss, Paul and Olive Astry, J. G. Smith, Zella Litty, Louise Bunn, Salem Scholarship Fund, Freda Sweitzer Legacy, R. B. McArtor, C. Harold Musser, Ethel Beall, Anna Thomas, F. R. Mathews, Mary Ellen Pizzino, and the Corso family,” the press release said.

An anonymous donor established the Ministerial Scholarship Fund in 2008, recognizing “the financial impact of a career in the ministry. The scholarship provides aid to assist individuals who wish to enter the fields of the ministry, Christian education, youth ministry, or a closely-related field, and (who) will be spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Two members of the committee who were former businessmen knew Troll and praised her work ethic and her love of Salem.

“A lot of us looked up to Jackie. She was Miss Retail,” Moffett said.

Moffett owned Moffett’s Mens Wear and said she shoveled her walk and washed her windows and did a lot for Salem. He said her scholarship will benefit young people coming into the retail sector.

Joe Julian, of Julian Electric, also served as the Salem City Service Director under Mayor Larry DeJane. What he found amazing about Jackie was that she opened up early in the morning and she stayed at the business until late at night. She knew everybody’s name when they visited her store, unless they were a newcomer, but by the time they left, she knew who they were. He said she was “just a great lady.”

Committee members spoke to the scholarship winners briefly, with Sedzmak telling them to always remember the people who helped them along the way, especially their family and teachers, and “always remember the people of this community who have given you this opportunity.”

Both he and Ramunno, a longtime local educator, advised them to give back to their communities. Ramunno said college isn’t about getting a job, but about becoming a well-rounded person who can contribute to society.

Since 1991, the program has granted $566,400 in scholarships to college sophomores, juniors and seniors along with those students studying for a career in the ministry. Scholarship amounts ranged from $1,000 to $2,500. According to the press release, the program was designed to meet the needs of college sophomores, juniors, and seniors whose initial scholarship dollars following high school graduation had been discontinued.

This years winners include: seniors, Rachel Andrews (University of Mount Union), Cyrena Cooper (University of Mount Union), John Anthony Dermotta (Ohio University), Troy Kuhns (Kent State University), Brittany Oesch (Youngstown State University), Brittany Skiba (Bowling Green State University), Blake Veglia (Youngstown State University), Emma Wilson (University of Mount Union) and Cassandra Wood (University of Toledo); juniors, Emily Ehrenberg (Kent State University / Salem Campus), Julia Martinelli (University of Akron), Zachary Morris (Kent State University), Martin Roth (Kent State University) and Joshua Townsend (Kent State University); sophomores, Samantha Calhoun (Kent State University), Linzy Haueter (Ohio University), Seth Hill (University of Dayton), Catherine Howell (University of Akron), Andrew Pasco (Cleveland State University), Quentin Rice (Chatham University) and Brittany Zamarelli (Kent State University); and ministerial scholarship winners, Jeffrey Barton (Ashbury Theological Seminary), Debra Goodenow (Maranatha Baptist University), Tricia Haueter (Liberty University), Jennifer Oettinger (Malone University) and Madison Pennington (Trinity Bible College).

“The Salem Community Foundation is grateful for the numerous caring and civic-minded individuals, families and organizations that have established scholarship funds. The Foundation is entrusted with investing and administering these scholarship funds to fulfill the donor’s intentions for which the fund was originally established,” the press release said. “If you are interested in creating a scholarship fund, either as a way to help a student achieve their dreams or memorialize a loved one, please call the Salem Community Foundation office (at) 330-332-4021.”

mgreier@salemnews.net

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